Rune Factory: Frontier Impressions

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Fantasy Harvest Moon is coming to Wii.

By Daemon Hatfield

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon arrived on the Nintendo DS back in the summer of 2007 and provided a supernatural twist to the long-running farming game. It reinvigorated the Harvest Moon formula, and IGN gave it an 8.4. The first console version of Rune Factory is arriving on the Wii in March and looks to bring what fans like about the series to their living room.

Frontier opens with an anime-style intro movie. Animated cut scenes are dropped in throughout the game to deliver the story and appear to be of pretty high quality. Some of the characters from the first Rune Factory on DS are returning here, including Laguna, our protagonist. You begin wandering the countryside looking for a young girl named Mist -- who fans will remember from the first game. You happen upon a church, where Mist is inside.

Expect an action RPG experience while exploring dungeons.

After speaking with Mist you decide this seems like a nice enough town to start a life in and decide to stay. In classic Harvest Moon style you'll be building a home, a reputation, and searching for a mate. While chatting with characters, visual cues above their heads (in the form of notes or hearts) will indicate how happy they are with you. When you start dating the local hotties, a relationship key will keep track of how well you're doing with each prospect.

Rune Factory offers something Harvest Moon never did, though: a giant whale island floating in the sky. This is where the dungeons are held, and early on you'll discover a magic shrub that can be climbed beanstalk-style to access the whale. Exploring the dungeons plays like an action RPG, and there are more gardens to be farmed inside. As the story moves along more dungeons will open up to you.

The A button on your remote will either swing a weapon or dig in soil, depending on the situation. Repeating actions will improve your skill over time. Farming is still the heart of the game, despite the inclusion of monster battles. Much of your time will be spent clearing rocks and tilling soil. Your crops can be sold in town and you can use the money to buy new items and equipment. Your gardens are worked one square tile at a time, providing the same slow, relaxed experience you've come to expect from Harvest Moon. The DS games may feel a little tedious at first, but sticking with it yields a deep and rewarding affair.

Characters Mist and Raguna return from the original Rune Factory.

Animals can be captured and used as mounts, workers on your farm (an elephant can water your crops, for instance), or they can be taken into dungeons to help in battle. You'll also find floating spirits of different colors (called "runneys") hanging out around your farm. When caught they will provide various benefits: yellow provides wood, blue water, green grass, and purple…rock.

We love the portable Rune Factory games, and Frontier seems to be recreating the experience at home. Expect more coverage leading up to its March release. We've got loads of new screens and art to check out in our gallery.